Averyn POV
When the last bell finally rang, it felt like the whole school was holding its breath.
Nobody said a word, but everyone picked up on it.
Teachers let us out early. Rumors flew everywhere—some blamed a power surge, others said it was just a glitch with the wiring. Security guards kept pacing the halls, hanging around way longer than usual.
People grabbed onto those explanations. They were simple. Easy to swallow.
The real reason? Nobody wanted to deal with that.
We waited until we were outside to talk.
The sky had turned soft gold, and the afternoon light carved long shadows across the street. For a second, it actually felt calm—like the world was trying to make up for what just happened.
Gianna broke the silence first. "Okay. That was not a power outage."
Ruelle shook her head. "Nope. That was something seeing how far it could push us."
Jade let out a slow breath and raked her hand through her hair. "And we barely handled it."
"Barely?" Carmira repeated. "We were one mistake away from blowing everything."
That hit hard. Because she was right. Back in the classroom, it got way too close. Almost past the point of fixing. And the boys—They were still left in the dark.
Sebastian strolled ahead of us, walking backward, chatting with Jade like nothing was off. Like he hadn't just nearly crashed into something unreal.
"You're still coming to the park, right?" He gave her a big grin. "We've had this planned all week."
Jade paused. Only for a moment. Then she smiled. "Yeah. I'll come."
I caught her eye. "Are you sure?"
She barely nodded. We can't just stop living. Elliot drifted over next to Carmira, hands deep in his pockets. "You good?" he asked quietly.
"Yeah," she answered too fast. "Just tired."
He let it go. But the way he watched her—he knew something was off.
We all kept walking toward the park. Normal still mattered.
And maybe, just maybe, nothing would happen this time.
The park buzzed with life when we showed up.
Kids dashed through the grass. Someone's music drifted by—just enough bass to make your ribs hum. Students lounged everywhere, sprawled across benches and woven along the paths, laughing like nothing weird had happened an hour ago.
Sunlight poured through the leaves, soft and golden, touching everything with a gentle glow.
It looked safe. It really should've felt safe.
But it didn't.
The Codex pressed against my side, humming quietly. Not in a warning way, just… there. Awake.
We slipped apart without thinking.
Jade claimed a spot on a bench next to Sebastian. Their shoulders brushed while he told some story that made her laugh—soft, almost careful, like she was trying not to let too much out.
Carmira and Elliot drifted toward the trees. Elliot's voice barely carried; Carmira's was even lower. Whatever they were talking about felt like it mattered.
Gianna flopped down on the grass, leaned back on her hands, and stared at the sky. You could tell she wanted to believe it was just a regular afternoon.
Ruelle didn't move. Figures. She never did.
Air always shifts, never settles.
"You feel that?" she murmured, eyes fixed somewhere else.
"Yeah." My voice barely made a sound.
Vynessa stood at my side, her glow faint but stubborn. "It's not hiding this time."
My stomach just—dropped. She was right.
No shadows lurking at the edges now. They weren't sneaking around anymore. They just waited. Out in the open, watching.
Then—everything changed.
The wind snapped, sharp and off. Wrong, somehow.
Ruelle's whole body tensed. "Averyn."
"I know."
The laughter didn't stop. People kept chatting, oblivious.
But I saw it. Way out by the trees, something shifted.
Not just one thing—more than that.
They didn't walk. They unfolded. Pulled themselves out of the darkness, like they'd been tucked in there, just waiting.
They looked all wrong. Ugly, twisted. Hard to even describe.
Gianna muttered, "Okay, that's new," and pushed herself up.
Carmira edged closer. "They're not hiding anymore," she whispered.
Jade rose slow, Sebastian still talking like nothing was happening. Her fingers curled tight, little sparks of heat flickering under her skin.
She kept her voice low. "We can't transform. Not here."
"We don't really have a choice," Ruelle said.
The creatures moved. Not toward the crowd. They headed for us. Of course they did.
My heart hammered in my chest.
Come on, focus.
We couldn't let anyone see what we could do.
Not in front of all those people.
Not in front of the creatures.
"Spread out," I barked. "Keep them away from everyone else."
Gianna shot back, "And how are we supposed to pull that off?"
"Be subtle," Vynessa replied, totally calm. "Use control, not force."
Yeah, right. Easy for her.
The first creature came at us, quick. Way too quick. I didn't even think. I just moved.
Water surged up from the ground—thin, barely visible—and wrapped around its body, slowing it down just enough.
Most people probably just saw it stumble.
But we knew what really happened.
Jade stepped up and grabbed Sebastian's arm. "Stay back," she said, her voice tight.
He looked at her, totally lost. "Why?"
"Just trust me."
And he did.
That honestly shook me more than anything else.
Across the park, Carmira slammed her foot down. The ground shifted, just a little, but enough to trip another one of those things before it got to a group of students.
Gianna moved next. A faint spark danced along a lamppost nearby, electricity flickering. The light snapped and crackled—perfect. Everyone looked the other way, right where we needed them to.
We wanted distraction, not attention.
Perfect.
Ruelle lifted her hand, barely a motion.
The wind listened.
It whipped through the park, tossing leaves and grit straight into the creatures' faces. They staggered, blinded for a heartbeat.
We just needed a little more time.
That's it.
One of them froze.
It turned around.
Locked eyes with me.
Not just a glance—really saw me.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then it spoke.
Not out loud.
It hit me somewhere deeper, a sound grinding through my head.
Averyn.
My chest clenched. I barely heard myself. "No."
It knew who I was. It knew all of us. The Codex pressed hot against my side.
And then—light split everything apart.
Blinding. Clean. Unshakable.
Lunara.
She stepped forward, sliding between us and those creatures like she'd always belonged there. Every move she made was sure, practiced. Like she'd been studying them forever.
Because she did.
She did not look at the crowd.
She did not hesitate.
She did look at us.
And gave a small, firm nod.
Follow me.
The creatures shrieked.
Panic spread through the park like wildfire: students running, shouting, confusion.
Perfect cover. We moved. Not graceful. Not perfect. Together.
Trying to follow her lead.
Trying to survive.
And as I ran, my heart pounding in my chest, my power growing— I saw something that made my fear even more acute.
Because this wasn't random.
Because this wasn't a test.
Because this was escalation.
And whatever had been behind those creatures— Had just taken its first real step into our world.